Corea or Cho-sen eBook

When the court and country are not in mourning, the
horses of the generals, high officials and eunuchs
bear magnificent saddles, embroidered in red, green
and blue; the ponies led by hand immediately in front
of the King’s palanquin being also similarly
decked out.

Curiously enough, when the first royal palanquin had
gone past the procession repeated itself, almost in
its minutest details, and another palanquin of the
exact shape of the first, and also supported by hundreds
of attendants, advanced before us. Puzzled at
this strange occurrence, I inquired of a neighbour:

“In which palanquin is the King?”

“No one knows, except his most intimate friends
at Court,” was the answer. “In case
of an attempt upon his life, he may thus be fortunate
enough to escape.”

If such an attempt were made success would not in
any case be an easy matter, except with a gun or a
bomb; for the King’s sedan is raised so high
above the ground that it would be impossible for any
one to reach it with his hands. Besides, it is
surrounded by a numerous escort.

The sedans were constructed after the model of a large
square garden-tent with a pavilion roof, the front
side being open. The King—­somebody
closely resembling him is selected for his double—­sits
on a sort of throne erected inside.

On another occasion, when I saw a similar procession
accompanying the King to the tomb of the queen-dowager,
the two palanquins used were much smaller, and were
fast closed, although there were windows with thick
split bamboo blinds on both sides of each palanquin.
The palanquins were covered with lovely white leopard
skins outside, and were rich in appearance, without
lacking in taste.

When the King’s procession returned to the palace
after dark, the beauty and weirdness of the sight
were increased tenfold. Huge reed-torches, previously
planted in the ground at intervals along the line of
route, were kindled as the procession advanced, and
each soldier carried a long tri-coloured gauze lantern
fastened to a stick, while the palanquins were surrounded
with a galaxy of white lights attached to high poles.
A continuous hollow moaning, to indicate that the
King was a very great personage, and that many hundreds
of men had undergone great fatigue in carrying him,
was heard as the palace gate was approached, and a
deep sigh of relief arose from thousands of lungs
when he was finally deposited at his door. Propped
up by his highest Ministers of state, who held him
under the arms, he entered his apartments; after which
the lights were quickly put out, and most of the crowd
retired to their homes.

On such occasions as these, however, the men are allowed
out at night as well as the women.

CHAPTER XVIII

Fights—­Prize fights—­Fist fights—­Special moon for fighting—­Summary
justice—­The use of the top-knot—­Cruelty—­A butcher combatant
—­Stone-fights—­Belligerent children—­Battle between two guilds—­Wounded
and killed—­The end of the battle postponed—­Soldiers’ fights.